Explore the Family Name Karpel

The meaning of Karpel

1. German and Polish: from a personal name, a diminutive of Karp 2. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Karpl, a pet form of Karp 1. 3. Altered form of Polish Karpiel ‘rutabago’, a metonymic occupational name for a peasant farmer. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Ari, Ephraim, Zev, Zvi. German Theodor.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Karpel in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Karpel has seen a slight decrease in rank from 45,078 in 2000 to 46,647 in 2010, falling by approximately -3.48%. However, the actual count of individuals with the surname increased by 1.79% over the same period. The proportion of people named Karpel per 100,000 also decreased by -11.76%, reflecting the total population growth in the U.S. during that decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#45,078	#46,647	-3.48%
Count	448	456	1.79%
Proportion per 100k	0.17	0.15	-11.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Karpel

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Karpel, the Decennial U.S. Census provides some interesting insights. The majority of individuals with this surname identify as White, although the percentage dropped slightly from 92.63% in 2000 to 90.57% in 2010. The Hispanic representation in this group saw an increase of 34.43% over the decade, making up 5.7% of the total in 2010. The proportion identifying as Black decreased by 12.94%, while those reporting two or more races appeared for the first time in 2010, at 1.75%. The data showed no Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native identities associated with the Karpel surname for both years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.63%	90.57%	-2.22%
Hispanic	4.24%	5.7%	34.43%
Two or More Races	0%	1.75%	0%
Black	2.01%	1.75%	-12.94%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%